This week's Activist Appreciation Month feature story honors the noble efforts of Judy Carman, who has rescued turkeys, quail, and a steer from needless suffering to live instead in safe forever homes at animal sanctuaries.

Both the United States Congress and Senate have passed budget resolutions that help clear the way for dangerous and polluting oil drilling and other energy exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, one of the last truly wild places in the U.S.

In Defense of Animals has just learned of Wichita State University's 2011 plan to requisition two 19' sculptures by dog killing "for art" artist Tom Otterness, which are to be completed in the fall of 2018 or the spring of 2019.

Circuses have been allowed to cage exotic animals and ship them from town to town, hundreds of days per year, making money off of their chronic suffering. Elephants, tigers, camels, lions, monkeys and so many others are denied their natural instincts.

In Defense of Animals has led the fight to end the heinous torture and killing of dogs and cats for human consumption. We have been growing awareness, gaining staunch public support, and building political momentum to end this barbaric industry.

Baskin Robbins is known worldwide for its rich and creamy ice creams, but only its sorbets are free of animal products. Don't get us wrong, sorbets are delicious. But they're not ice-cream - not even close!

Earlier this month, witnesses driving on Interstate 90 outside of Sioux Falls, South Dakota saw a pig struggling to open the back gate of a transport truck four or five times before he succeeded and then jumped from the truck as it sped down....

On September 19, 2017, Dalton Christian and his family who live in the unincorporated community of Van Vleet, Mississippi, discovered that their ten horses and two donkeys were missing. They had wandered onto a neighboring property and been mowed down.

On Thanksgiving day last year, law enforcement officers in Covina, California responded to a call about a crying kitten. The caller reported the kitten had been crying for a couple of days at a neighbor's property.

In April of 2016, John Colter Pyron of Hazelhurst, Mississippi was arrested by the Flowood Police Department for animal cruelty, possession of schedule III controlled substance, and suspicion of poisoning animals following an investigation of complaints.

In early February, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) removed all inspection reports and records pertaining to private businesses and government funded facilities that included reports on invasive animal research, puppy mill neglect, and cruelty...

2015 may be the "year of the elephant" more than any other year thus far. Most of us are now aware that elephants are on the brink of extinction. The poaching crisis death toll rises daily and we are exposed to the heart wrenching images of....

Tigers, lions, jaguars, and other large felines belong in the wild. Unfortunately, somewhere between 10,000 and 20,000 of these wild creatures are kept in captivity in the United States as pets or in roadside zoos.

No one should be discriminated against for having a vegan lifestyle and for speaking out on behalf of animals. Author, journalist, and activist Nancy Holten was denied Swiss citizenship for defending the rights of animals in the media.

Two bills introduced by Senator John Cornyn, a Republican from Texas, would greatly weaken the Endangered Species Act. The first, S. 375, would give local governments, industry, and other parties opposed to a species being protected under the ESA.

Hawaii is no paradise for Vaigai and Mari, two female Indian elephants who have for decades been victimized by the Honolulu Zoo. The Zoo has repeatedly demonstrated an inability to provide Vaigai and Mari with appropriate care....

All hands on deck to send an email to LAUSD administrators and Board Members! For two years, students led by Earth Peace founder Lila Copeland have worked hard to reach a point where LAUSD will even test the idea of offering a vegan lunch pilot program.

The West Virginia State Police served a juvenile petition on two Alum Creek teens for the hanging of a dog. On Monday, March 27, 2017, photos of a dog hung from a tree with a smiling youth standing in the foreground began to circulate on social media.

Imagine 1,550 restaurants across the country enticing millions to try delicious, cruelty-free dishes that cause no harm to animals. IHOP, known for its classic breakfast dishes, has just appointed a new culinary director.

Lolita, the endangered orca, has been swimming in sad, lonely circles at the Miami Seaquarium for over 47 years, ever since she was ripped away from her wild family. She is forced to live as a prisoner in the smallest orca tank in the US.

In Defense of Animals first listed the Milwaukee County Zoo on our 2014 Ten Worst Zoos list. We hoped that its two African elephants, Ruth and Brittany, might eventually be sent to a certified sanctuary.

Missouri State Representative Mike Moon has come under fire for a video he posted to his official Facebook page in June. The video begins with Moon standing beside a chicken who is strung upside down by her feet, fully conscious.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has killed two wolves from the Smackout pack and has authorized further lethal action. Wolves were once numerous in Washington state but were killed off by ranchers and farmers.

America's last truly wild bison live in the Yellowstone National Park area. Every year, they are harassed and killed. The Yellowstone bison's Central Herd has lost almost half of its population over the past year due to persecution.

Dolphin Discovery is a notorious company that owns at least 24 captive dolphin facilities scattered across Mexico. Two of its facilities landed on our Ten Worst Tanks List last year: Six Flags in Mexico City landed at #6

The Madison County Sheriff's Office received an urgent 911 call on the afternoon of November 4 and dispatched officers right away. When deputies arrived at the Canton, Mississippi address, they heard barking and growling coming from the woods.

The dog and cat meat trade are not as exclusive to Asian countries as one may think. Dog and cat meat consumption have been reported in Switzerland, Nigeria, Jamaica, India, and surprisingly within the US, to name just a few.

We're calling for the immediate closure and sanctuary retirement of animals suffering at Virginia's Natural Bridge Zoo in Rockbridge County, following a new round of animal welfare violations found by the USDA during a June inspection.

The thought of Bali evokes a visual idyllic paradise rich with culture, rice paddies and spirituality. But now a cruel and dirty secret has been uncovered on this island of paradise - the dog meat trade.

Every year, teachers at Neil Cummins and Anthony G. Bacich Elementary Schools in the San Francisco Bay Area hatch eggs in their classrooms. These birds are born in incubators, deprived of their mothers, kept in inhumane conditions...

The United States Department of Agriculture has taken a bold and unprecedented action to protect animal abusers. The USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has removed all public records of animals kept in facilities such as labs.

A recent congressional bill, House Joint Resolution 69, has passed the House and is now on the way to the Senate. This bill is a direct attack on the already insufficient protections for animals living in Alaska's national wildlife refuges.

The Endangered Species Act has dramatically reduced species extinctions since it was enacted in 1973, but it could soon become extinct. Polar bears, pandas, chimpanzees, elephants, turtles, tigers, parrots and even orchids will lose protections.

America's last truly wild bison live in the Yellowstone National Park area. Every year, they are harassed and killed because of the alleged threat that they will transfer brucellosis, a terrible disease, to domestic cattle.

Wildlife Safari in Winston, Oregon is shamed in 7th place on our Ten Worst Zoos for Elephants List. This animal abusement facility has been on our list five out of the past six years for its blatant exploitation of elephants for money.

If Marineland is good at one thing, it's stirring up controversy. The facility, located in Ontario, Canada, has wrongly accused an animal rights organization of "exploiting" children and used this accusation to oppose...

Americans are now eating less animal flesh than ever before. Yet both the livestock industry and many in the food industry are not happy about this turn of events and are advocating for Americans to not only eat more flesh, but to consume more species.

For 39 years, the Ephrata Fair, held in Ephrata, Pennsylvania, included an annual pig chase. Grease-covered pigs were put in the middle of a field surrounded by hundreds of spectators while children and adults chased, tackled...

If Wisconsin Senator Baldwin has her way, the next time you go to the supermarket for a half gallon of almond milk, you might not be able to find it. Why? Because there is a new bill entering Congress called the Dairy Pride Act

California's foie gras ban was overturned last Wednesday, January 7, by U.S. District Court Judge Stephen V. Wilson in Los Angeles. He ruled that the ban, passed in 2004 and only recently in effect as of 2012, illegally encroaches on the regulatory domain

A pack of feral dogs has been running wild in the streets of Lahaina, Hawaii at night and killing feral cats, family pets, chickens, and other small dogs. The Maui Humane Society (MHS) claims they do not have the funding nor the staff to...

Sanderson Farms, one of the largest poultry producers in the United States, proudly promotes its use of antibiotics as harmless, yet it won't agree to a federal government study to measure the health risks.

On January 2, 2017, AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) decided to ignore science, ethics, and thousands of pleas from animal activists. AHF proceeded with its plan and released 198 captive-bred doves during the Rose Parade in Pasadena, California.

As the new year begins, let us take a moment to remember a species whose members are noble, long-eared animals, so often maligned, who have already had so much taken from them for humans' collective benefit over the centuries.

Miami Seaquarium forces Lolita to perform tricks and cry out loudly for the audience during its circus-style show. The sound of her anguished scream is heartbreaking to many, and a new study confirms that we are recognizing what Lolita is saying.

According to the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force, Hwange National Park visitors witnessed the capture of baby elephants by government helicopters and ground teams.

In Defense of Animals, located in San Rafael, Calif., is an international animal protection organization with more than 100,000 members and supporters dedicated to ending the abuse and exploitation of animals by protecting their rights and welfare. IDA's efforts include educational events, cruelty investigations, boycotts, grassroots activism, and hands-on rescue through our sanctuaries in Mississippi, Mumbai, India, and Cameroon, Africa.

In Defense of Animals is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization. We welcome your feedback and appreciate your donations. Please join today! All donations to IDA are tax-deductible.